THE AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL
                                                                                                                  

For Immediate Release                                                                                     April 12, 2007

 

Beyond All Expectations:  Bermuda Crown Counsel
Reflects on U.S. Training Opportunity

Recently returned from a week-long training session at the headquarters of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Virginia, Bermuda Crown Counsel Leighton Rochester is enthusiastic about the contacts he made, the information he learned and its relevance to Bermuda.

U.S. Consul General Gregory Slayton nominated Mr. Rochester to attend the conference, which was fully paid by USPTO – a first for Bermuda.  He was the third member of the Bermuda Attorney General’s office to benefit from this exchange program on the enforcement of intellectual property rights. 

Previous Bermuda participants included former Solicitor General Wilhelm Bourne and Acting Solicitor General Melvin Douglas. Looking forward, Ms. Tanya Quinn, Principal Customs Officer at HM Customs, is due to leave this weekend for a related USPTO seminar on recent trends in border enforcement of intellectual property rights. Her trip also is fully paid by USPTO.

Mr. Rochester said of his experience that it heightened his awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving international property rights.  For example, in the United States, companies are losing billions of dollars a year to piracy and counterfeiting. Just one counterfeit film can deprive a company of millions.

Mr. Rochester said also that the protection of intellectual property rights “has ramifications on a community’s cultural and economic existence and development, its general well being and organized crime.”  Consul General Slayton agreed.  “The protection of international property rights is the hallmark of a successful, civilized society.”

Hundreds of global trademarks are registered in Bermuda. Mr. Rochester feels, however, that there is a need to conduct an outreach program to inform Bermudians about copywrite laws and regulations.

CONTACT:   Astrid Black
                 U.S. Consulate
                 278-7502
                 blackac@state.gov